Trio of Pairs
by usagi8sara
Summary: Three sisters move from America to Seigaku. They're all tennis aces, and they manage to capture the top spots on the girl's team, but how will they manage to capture the boy's team's hearts?
1. Preface

~Preface~

Three slender girls walked along a street, each holding ice cream cones. Two were about the same height and one was slightly shorter, but any passerby could clearly see that they were related. They walked in sync and all stopped when they passed by Seishun Gakuen, marveling at the large buildings.

"Seigaku, ka?" asked the smallest of the trio. Her sisters nodded, and without another word, they all continued on. Little did they know the slow, evenly paced rhythm of their lives would soon be interrupted.


	2. Chapter 1

~Chapter One~

Kikumaru Eiji hastily scanned the crowd of students in front of Seishun Gakuen, more commonly known as Seigaku, for his best friend and doubles partner, Oishi Shuichiro. When he found said person, he ran over and jumped on his back.

"Oishi! Guess what?" the redhead said excitably. His maroon curls shook from his constant movement, and his bemused friend cocked his head and said "Hmm…did you get a new kind of toothpaste, Eiji?" "No, no, nothing like that! Mou, you have no imagination. Anyway, Fuji told me that Tezuka told him that Principal Ishikawa told Ryuzaki-sensei that three new students from America were coming to Seigaku, and the best part is, they all play tennis!"

"That's great, Eiji! I hope they join our team!" said Oishi. Eiji was in the middle of agreeing when another boy, Fuji Shuusuke, joined their discussion. He was slender and feminine-looking, with brown hair and a wide smile on his face.

"Oh, Fujiko! I was just telling Oishi the awesome news that you told me!" Eiji said. Fuji looked confused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.

"Oh, right. But Eiji, you left before I could finish. I was going to say that our new transfer students….are all girls."

"EH?"

Suddenly the bell rang, and realizing that they would be late, Eiji and Fuji made their way to 9th grade class 3-A, while Oishi went to 9th grade class 3-B.

~An hour before ~

Kajimoto Yumiko paced around her room, while her twin sister, Sumiko watched her. It would be their first day at Seishun Gakuen, and she was impatient to leave.

"Yumi, calm down! We still have an hour before school starts. We're not going to be late." the calmer of the two said.

"Well, I still wish Ami wouldn't take so much time getting ready! I want to get there early so I can look for cute bo- I mean…so I can find the tennis courts and my classroom."

Her sister retorted, "If you hadn't spent an hour in the bathroom fixing your hair, this wouldn't have happened anyway! Besides, you know we have to focus on getting to our goals right? Work first, then dates. "

""Wakatteru, wakatteru yo. Become top two on Seigaku's female tennis team and Japan's number one doubles pair! But, Sumi, we can still have fun on the way." Yumiko said.

"All right. But I have to go with you. And let's only go after our lunch break. That's when the boy's tennis team practices today anyway." said Sumiko.

"Che. I wish we were in the same class…What if there isn't any nice people in class 3-A? I bet you'll have tons of friends in 3-B." Yumiko pouted. Sumiko was about to reply when the door to the adjacent room opened and Kajimoto Amiko came out. Like her sisters, she had jet black hair and pale skin, but she had two short pigtails, while her eldest sister, Sumiko had long straight hair, and her other sister, Yumiko, had shoulder length hair.

"Onee-san tachi, can we go now? I want to meet my teacher, and my classmates, and oh, I'm soo excited! I'm sure class 2-B will be great!" Amiko said, and without another word, she ran down the stairs. He sisters sighed and followed her.


	3. Chapter 2

~Chapter Two~

"Class, we have a new student, who has come all the way from America. I expect you all to welcome her. Come in, Kajimoto-chan," the teacher of class 3-A said. Yumiko felt nervous but also uncontrollably excited. Then she thought about Sumiko, in her classroom across the hall, and remembered who she was. "That's right! I'm part of the Crystal Pair, one of the U.S's best junior doubles team! There's no reason to be scared. "With that, she adjusted her posture, smoothed her hair, and walked in the room.

"Konnichiwa. My name is Kajimoto Yumiko. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" Yumiko said, and she bowed.

"Okay, Kajimoto-chan, you can sit between Fuji-kun and Kikumaru-kun. Now, please get out your notebooks…" the teacher said.

Yumiko walked through the vertical rows of seats to the only empty seat in the classroom. She noticed the smiling, girl-like boy on her left, and the redhead who was staring at her but stopped, she noted with amusement, once he saw her look at him.

Eiji thought that the new girl didn't look very American, but "She's pretty cute" he thought.

Meanwhile, Sumiko was seated next to Oishi and Tezuka Kunimitsu, the stern captain of the boy's tennis team. He wore glasses and an unemotional expression on his face. Both of the girls sighed, and soon the morning was over; it was lunch time.

~In 8th Grade Class 2-A~

Kaidoh Kaoru unpacked his very traditional lunch and was about to eat when he noticed that the new girl…."Amiko, her name was?" had almost the same thing for lunch as he did. He hissed, putting it aside, but then she started to talk.

"You're Kaidoh-kun, right? Sugoi! We have the same lunch! That's cool, huh? Oh, I hope you don't mind that I'm sitting here for lunch…My sisters are off somewhere. So, Kaidoh-kun, do you play sports? Which one?" Amiko said. She spoke rapidly and Kaidoh was overwhelmed by all the speech coming out of this small girl. He simply grunted "Tennis" with a long hiss.

"Sugoi! What a coincidence! I play tennis too, isn't that awesome! Are you on the school's team? I'm gonna be on the girls team. My sisters are aiming to be captain and vice-captain. Oh! Are you one? Are you really good? "

Kaidoh felt a headache coming on and was about to switch seats, when he noticed that his new classmate was quiet. She had a regretful expression on her face and casting her eyes downward said "Gomen for being so talkative, Kaidoh-kun. You see, I usually talk to my twin brother, Aki, but he's attending boarding school in America, so…I understand if my chattering bothers you…I can move if you want me to…"

Suddenly all of his irritation was gone, and he knew that his conscience was going to pay dearly if he didn't let her stay.

He said "No need to move. I don't mind…" and instantly Amiko's spirits lifted. She started to talk again, but this time Kaidoh was prepared. Actually, he thought, it was kinda nice, since he didn't have many friends other than his tennis teammates and was generally shrouded in solitude. Snapping back to reality, he finished his lunch, remembering that they had practice right after lunch break, which was soon ending.

After he finished, he packed up and said to Amiko, "I have practice now…fshuu."

"Okay! See you later" said Amiko. She was glad that she had made at least one friend at Seigaku, even if he wasn't _really_ a friend and he was kinda quiet. Her siblings had teased her that with all her chattering, she wouldn't be able to make any friends. Then she remembered that she had wanted to find the tennis courts, and Amiko dashed out the classroom door to try an catch up with Kaidoh.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: To SunneRaine: Thank you for your thoughtful review. I'll write with your criticism in mind. Oh, and I'll reveal why they moved and more about their skills in the next chapter, sorry.

~Chapter 4~

Eiji and Oishi were walking to the tennis courts for afternoon practice when two girls ran over to them.

"Oh! You're the new girl….Kajimoto-chan, right? You're in my class," Eiji said. Suddenly a tall, lanky boy was right behind them, and his large glasses gleamed in the sunlight.

"Name: Kajimoto Yumiko. Siblings: Twin Sister, Sumiko, in Oishi's class, Younger Twins, Aki and Amiko. Height: 173 cm. She and her sister play doubles together, they're known as the Crystal Pair. There's a 98% chance that they will join the girls' team.

Everyone's eyes went wide and Yumiko stuttered "What? Ho-how does he know that?"

"Inui!" Oishi scolded, "Please don't scare new students like that! While everyone is glad that your data skills are so useful in finding out information on rival teams, I'm sure that Kajimoto-san tachi thinks it's creepy!"

"Ah, gomen. I couldn't help myself, as I am also in class 3-B. Oh, I suppose I should introduce myself. Inui Sadaharu, nice to meet you. Well, I'll be going now…ja."

Eiji was about to comment on what a coincidence it was that they all played doubles, but he was interrupted.

"Um...sorry to disrupt your conversation, but we were wondering where the tennis courts are..." Sumiko politely said.

Yumiko cut in "Yup! Like that creepy megane guy said we're trying out for the girls' team; can you tell us who the coach is?" Oishi told them that it was around the corner of the rather large library building, and to ask for Suzuki-sensei. Yumiko promptly thanked both of them, and then ran towards the library. Her sister sighed, and then ran after her sister, shouting at her to wait.

Eiji looked at his watch and gasped that they were going to be late if they didn't get changed soon. But, as luck would have it, they were delayed again.

Having given up on following Kaidoh, Amiko looked for someone to ask about the tennis courts. She saw the two senior boys and ran up to them.

"Huh? Weren't you just here? Where's the other one?" Eiji said, mistaking her for Yumiko because of their similar hair length.

"Oh, great, my sisters were already here…which way did they go?" Yumiko said quickly.

Oishi pointed to the where the tennis courts, and Amiko said "Awesome; arigato, senpai tachi.

When Eiji and Oishi finally got to on the courts, Tezuka made them run 20 laps for their being late.


	5. Chapter 4

~Chapter 5 Part 1~

After they found the girl's tennis courts, registered, and were informed that there was no practice that day because ranking tournaments, similar to the ones the boys had, were being held the next day, all three Kajimoto girls decided to watch the boys play. Yumiko and Sumiko found Eiji and Oishi playing a match against two boys, one of which was in Yumiko's class, and the other in Sumiko's. Later, they would learn that the one at the net was named Kawamura Takeshi, and the one at the baseline was named Fuji Shuusuke.

"Wow, Kikumaru-kun is good!" Yumiko said in awe as she watched Eiji perform flips and dives to get the ball.

"Oishi-kun is great too…they both work well together," Sumiko said after a few more minutes.

"Of course! Nothing less is expected of Seigaku's Golden Pair," a boy next to them said. He wore a green and orange shirt, and it was obvious from his small stature that he was a freshman.

He then gasped and said "Oh, Echizen's practice match is starting now!" and ran away towards the other courts. Yumiko and Sumiko looked at each other and smiled. They were both thinking the same thing: "Let's challenge them!" They stood up, but then Sumiko, being by nature more responsible, wondered where Amiko was. Yumiko thought that she should have found the courts by then. They both shrugged, and walked back to their lockers to get their racquets.

Meanwhile, Amiko was watching Kaidoh play. She was surprised at his amazing endurance and tenacity, traits she had to work and train long hours to gain. She too decided to challenge him. After all, they were friends, right?

After practice, Sumiko and Yumiko followed Eiji and Oishi home, since they had noticed that they would pass by their street anyway. Yumiko tried to be stealthy, and tiptoed behind trees and bushes, but soon she suddenly tripped, and cried out as she fell on the sidewalk. Sumiko sighed in exasperation and stopped to help her sister up. A hand with a small bandage in it suddenly appeared right next to her face.

"Are you alright, Kajimoto-chan? You took quite a fall there," Oishi said kindly, as Eiji chuckled behind his hand next to him. Yumiko shot him a dirty glare and he stopped, straightening his face right away.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just have a tiny scratch on my knee," she said. Eiji took the bandage from Oishi and put it on Yumiko's knee. He said "I know all about scratches and scrapes from tennis…I fall all the time."

"Speaking of tennis," Sumiko said, "Yumi and I were watching your team play today. We saw you guys playing doubles, and both Yumi and I are very impressed. Yumiko cut in, "Yeah, you're sugoi! Kikumaru-kun, your acrobatic play is amazing." Both had a mischievous gleam in their eyes suddenly. Sumiko said "Ne, Seigaku's Golden Pair, me and Yumi were wondering…"

"…would you care to play us in a match?" Yumiko finished. Oishi and Eiji looked at each other and smiled. They both agreed; after all, their opponents were both girls, and on top of that one had just fallen. How hard could it be to beat them? They had no idea how wrong they were.

~Meanwhile~

Kaidoh usually went training in the park nearest to his house. He liked having a pattern that he repeated every day: run 3 miles, do 10 sets of pushups and sit-ups, run for 1 mile, stretch, etc. There usually weren't many people nearby, and he liked that too.

On the day that that the Kajimoto sisters came to Seigaku, a Tuesday, he was a little late in starting his training, due to getting into a scuffle with a fellow junior regular, named Momoshiro Takeshi. A frown grew on Kaidoh's face whenever he thought of that jerk. Momoshiro, or Momo-chan, as he liked to be called, was the complete opposite of Kaidoh, and the two were always fighting.

Running always cleared his head, so Kaidoh started to jog. A few minutes into his first mile, he became aware of someone behind him. He turned around, and there was Amiko. Startled, Kaidoh stopped jogging and stared at his classmate. Amiko stared back for a second, having also stopped, and then said "Is this where you train, Kaidoh-kun? Sugoi! Ne, can I train with you? I won't bother you, I'll be quiet, I promise!"

Kaidoh sighed, hissed, then started to run. Normally, he wouldn't have had any problem telling a classmate no, if it was a guy, like Momoshiro. But Kaidoh, never having any experience with girls before, thought that if he ignored her, she would go away. Also, he thought to himself, there was no way that with her slim arms and legs she would be able to keep with his extreme training regimen. He was quickly proven wrong.

"Wow, Kaidoh-kun! You do so much training! With weights and everything!" Yumi said, after Kaidoh had finished. She wasn't even breathing as hard as he was, and Kaidoh prided himself on his endurance and tenacity. Kaidoh saw that Amiko must have trained hard before, and his opinion of her went slightly up

She continued, "Ne, if you're not too tired, do you want to play a match? Me and you?"

"Are you challenging me?" Kaidoh said quietly but clearly, wanting to make sure that he way hearing correctly. Although he was still certain that he could win, as of when they finished training he was ever so slightly less sure. Yumiko nodded enthusiastically, and Kaidoh hissed and went to get his tennis bag.


	6. Chapter 5

~Chapter 5 Part 2~

Amiko panted and struggled to return a Snake shot from Kaidoh. The game count was 5-3, Amiko's lead, but even though she had the point lead, she didn't feel like she was winning at all. She could barely return his balls, and although she had started off well with a 4 game lead, she had started to fall into the Viper's trap. Amiko hadn't felt so helpless, so weak, well, since her grandfather had died. That is why they had moved in the first place, to honor his dying wish that his grandchildren would go to the school he had always loved, Seishun Gakuen. Aki, Amiko's twin brother, had stayed in America because he went to a prestigious boarding school on scholarship.

She had worshipped her grandfather, ever since her elder sisters had started to play tennis. Gifted with natural finesse and talent, they were considered geniuses, tensais. Their parents had shunned Amiko, since Aki was intellectually superior, and the older girls excelled at tennis. Every time Yumiko and Sumiko had a tournament, Amiko was left to stay with her grandfather, who told her that if she wanted to make a name for herself in tennis, like her sisters, she would have to work harder than anyone. So, from an early age, she learned to have a determined attitude, and started to train every day with her grandfather. Slowly, she raised her stamina and endurance, and learned to always bounce back. Under her cheerful and bubbly personality was a fire, burning bright to win.

Even when their family moved to America to make more opportunities for the Sapphire pair, as Yumiko and Sumiko's doubles partnership was called, leaving their grandfather behind, Amiko didn't get disheartened. Instead, she started to play more and more tournaments, winning match after match, finally getting her parents to notice her. She had finally gotten her ranking to 49th in girl's 12 singles for the nation, when their parents had told her that her grandfather had died. Crushed, she had wanted to give up tennis, which she and her grandfather had shared together, made sacred. Then Yumiko and Sumiko asked her to play matches with them, which they had never done before. They had always been sisterly, but distant, having each other and always being away from home at tournaments; Amiko was closer to Aki, until he received a scholarship for his boarding school.

After being utterly crushed by her own sisters, Amiko's fighting fire had been relit. Of course, she didn't hate her sisters since she knew that their intentions were good (cough fuji yuuta cough). Instead, she resolved to become Seishun Gakuen's Singles #1 girl and junior ace.

Remembering that, she felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. With a yell, she hit an extremely fast and hard down-the-line forehand approach shot, the followed up with an overhead smash, making it 40-15 in her service game. The score had shifted; it was now 6-5 Kaidoh's lead. Amiko summoned all of her power in one serve, making an ace. Both Kaidoh and Amiko dropped to their knees, extremely tired. . Then suddenly a yell came from the woods next to the street tennis court where the two were playing.

"Oi, look! It's Mamushii! And he's playing a girl!?"

It was Momoshiro.


End file.
